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Triangulum, The Triangle Constellation

Triangulum (Pronounciation:Try-ang-u-lum, Abbrev:Tri, Latin:Trianguli) is a constellation, one of 88 constellations that the night sky is divided into. The sky is not divided up equally between the constellations. Triangulum takes up 131.847 sq. degrees of the night sky which equates to 0.32% of the night sky. Triangulum is the 78th largest in terms of size in the night sky.

The constellation name means The Triangle . The constellation is one of the original constellations that was devised by the Ancient Greco-Egyptian astronomer Ptolemy who lived between 90 A.D. and 168 A.D.

There are 3 stars that make up the main constellation. The hipparcos satellite scanned and detailed 322 stars. There are 18 stars that can be seen with the naked eye in the constellation on a very clear night sky.

Triangulum is not a member of the Zodiac group of twelve constellations that appear when the Sun sets. Triangulum is a southern hemispheric constellation which means it can't be seen easily or at all from the northern hemisphere.

The distance to Triangulum is not calculable because all the stars that make up the constellation are at various distances. The best answer for distance to Triangulum is to calculate the average distance of the stars.

There are 4 Extrasolar Planets (Exoplanets) in this constellation that are detailed on this site. There is a dedicated page for exoplanets in Triangulum.

There are 1 deep space objects that were identified by Charles Messier in this constellation. There are no non-Messier deep space objects in this constellation that are covered at present on this site.

The image at the top right of this page was generated using Night Vision, a free to use and download application by Brian Simspon.

Triangulum Star Facts

The caveat of these stars are that they are catalogued on this site. If you know of a star that is nearer or further then do let me know in the comments and I'll add it to the site. The stars mentioned are from the Hipparcos catalogue or have been added because of their special status.

Delta Trianguli, Triangulum's Nearest Star

The nearest star to Earth is Delta Trianguli which is roughly about 35.17 Light Years from the Earth. The nearest star to the Earth with an exoplanet is HD 9446 which is about 170.77 Light Years.

HIP 13148, Triangulum's Furthest Star

The furthest star that is located in the constellation is HIP 13148 and it is 32616.33 light years away from the Sun.

Beta Trianguli, Brightest Star in Triangulum

The brightest star in Triangulum is Beta Trianguli and is located about 83.86 light years from the Sun. The star has a apparent magnitude of 3 but an absolute magnitude of 0.05 when the star is viewed from a distance of 10 Parsecs or 32.6 Light Years. The star is only recognised as being Beta Trianguli rather than having Alpha status.

HD 10348, Triangulum's Dimmest Visible Star

The dimmest star that can be seen in Triangulum with the naked eye is HD 10348. The dim star has an apparent magnitude of 5.97. The dimmest star that a person is able to see with their naked eye is 6.0 magnitude based on the table in the reference. Ref: University of Michigan.

Triangulum Mythology

Triangulum was previously referred to as Sicilia after the Island of Sicily. Ceres, the Goddess of the Island persuaded Zeus to put the Island in the skies.

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